The 2024 playoffs witnessed the passing of the baton in a major way as superstars like Stephen Curry and LeBron James faced early playoff exits and young stars like Anthony Edwards and Jalen Brunson emerged as superstar contenders. Edwards and Brunson especially skyrocketed their stocks in the league by spearheading their underrated teams to deep playoff runs. On that note, Kevin Garnett and Jeff Teague recently discussed their favorite guards in the league, which saw them differentiate Brunson and Edwards from the rest of the league.
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During an appearance on the Club 520 pod, KG asked Teague about his favorite guard in the NBA. Teague said that Jalen Brunson has become his favorite PG in the league after this season. Having watched Brunson up close during his early days, Teague admitted that the rise of the Knicks star as an elite NBA player has astonished him.
Both Teague and KG admired how JB has developed his craft over the years and maxed his skills. However, Garnett lamented how the modern basketball scene prefers physically gifted athletes repeating the same played-out methods of basketball rather than developing a player from scratch with a diversity of skillset.
He gave Brunson credit for sticking with the mid-range game even when it was slowly becoming obsolete. Garnett said,
“For a long time, they was trying to get rid of the mid-range, just diagnostics, at least in data… I felt like that he [Brunson], you start to see it mid-range, then he accepted, ‘Yeah, I’m just going to go mid-range, I don’t wanna, If i get a stand still three, cool.’”
Then Garnett was asked about Anthony Edwards who, like Brunson, has a strong work ethic coupled with an assertive body language. KG admitted that Ant-Man indeed has an old-school mentality, “I love ANT, man. I like his yesteryear demeanor.”
He hailed Edwards’ competitiveness, an aspect of the game that Garnett found missing in the new-age NBA. As per KG, many modern top-level NBA athletes are too friendly with each other, which quashes the competition-level in the league.
However, Edwards is not afraid of the dog-eat-dog style of battle, an aspect which resonates with Garnett. Therefore, Ant-Man and Brunson have stood out for KG and Jeff Teague because they remind them of old-school hoopers who played with an edge.
The rise of Anthony Edwards and Jalen Brunson
The New York Knicks were riddled with injuries during the 2024 playoffs, especially because of Julius Randle’s absence. Going into the second round, the injury to OG Anunoby left Jalen Brunson as the Knicks’ only shot-creator.
The lefty guard responded emphatically, tallying 32.7 points and 7.5 assists per game on 44% shooting from the floor. As Garnett pointed out, his mid-range game became the staple of his offense.
Meanwhile, Anthony Edwards generated a lot of buzz after his Minnesota Timberwolves swept the Kevin Durant-led Phoenix Suns in the first round. AE was in KD’s face at every juncture, reminding the 35-year-old that gone are the days of his dominance.
Apart from that, Edwards was instrumental in knocking out the defending Champions, the Denver Nuggets during the second round as well.
